Frank Pollard awakens in an alley, knowing nothing but his name - and that he is in great danger. Having taken refuge in a motel, he wakes again only to find his hands covered in blood. As far as he knows, he's no killer. But whose blood is this, and how did it get there?

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Publisher's Summary

Frank Pollard awakens in an alley, knowing nothing but his name - and that he is in great danger. Having taken refuge in a motel, he wakes again only to find his hands covered in blood. As far as he knows, he's no killer. But whose blood is this, and how did it get there?

Over the next few days Frank develops a fear of sleep, because each time he wakes, he discovers strange objects in his hands and pockets - objects far more frightening than blood.

Husband-and-wife detective team Bobby and Julie Dakota specialize in high-ticket corporate security investigations, but when a distraught and desperate Frank Pollard begs them to watch over him, they can't refuse. Out of compassion - and curiosity - they agree to get to the bottom of his mysterious, amnesiac fugues.

It seems a simple job: just follow a client who wants to be watched and tell him where he winds up. But as the Dakotas begin to discover where their client goes when he sleeps, they are drawn slowly into ever-darkening realms where they encounter the ominous figure stalking Frank. Their lives are threatened, as is that of Julie's gentle, Down's-syndrome brother, Thomas.

To Thomas, death is "the bad place" from which there is no return. But Julie and Bobby - and their tortured client - ultimately learn that equally bad places exist in the world of the living, places so steeped in evil that, in contrast ,death seems almost a relief.

What the Critics Say

"A master storyteller, sometimes humorous, sometimes shocking, but always riveting. His characters sparkle with life. And his fast-paced plots are wonderfully fiendish, taking unexpected twists and turns." (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

My favorite Koontz books are the ones where there is no hocus pocus - time travel, aliens and the like. I like Koontz charachters that are simply creepy enough to hold their own without supernatural capabilities. This is not one of those books, but the antagonists are certainly creepy.

The narators do a great job and the story is solid enough to keep you engaged. Worth a credit.

I think this is one of Dean Koontz's best books. I read it back couple of years ago,but listening to it being read the way it was,was a awesome ear candy treat. The readers made the book come to life,by changing there tone,and word articulations,reading in sync with the character they represented. A must have for your audio library.

A monstrous human wants to kill Frank and frequently kills others. This wasn’t my favorite Koontz book, but it was good. Koontz is excellent at creating and describing characters, dialogue, and events. My favorite Koontz stories consist of one or two characters who face obstacles, struggle, become stronger, and survive or succeed. This story is more about uncovering the mystery, getting closer, then luckily managing to survive, with scars. Some of the battle scars are the loss of loved ones and good people. I require happy endings, and this met my requirement. See spoiler below for a comment about the ending.

I was intrigued with the unusual characters and some every day characters. For example, one guy was asked for a picture. He said nothing and slammed the door. She knocks again. He opens the door. She asks for the picture again. He says I was on my way to get it and slams the door again. An example of unusual characters, the twins were weird and mesmerizing. They liked being naked, living among cats on the floor, kissing each other, and inhabiting animal minds.

NARRATORS:There were two narrators. Michael Hanson was excellent. Sadly I don’t want to listen to Carol Cowan narrate anything. I cannot adequately describe her, but it’s similar to self satisfied and arrogant, maybe like someone saying “I know, I know” to shut me up.

Genre: paranormal suspense thriller.

CAUTION SPOILER (a vague comment about the ending):This is what I would have liked knowing in advance. The ending was happy for a minority of the good guys. And it was bad for the bad guy.

Having two readers, male and female at first seemed clever. That lasted a few chapters. The female tried to read with too much emotion on many paragraphs, not at all how I would read the book if I was reading versus listening.

Would you be willing to try another book from Dean Koontz? Why or why not?

It's my fourth by the author, I'll try another but not on a whim as I did this time

What three words best describe Carol Cowan and Michael Hanson ’s voice?

Not bad, but not one of my favorites. Similar (very similar) themes have been done better in other Koontz novels. Perhaps it was just amnesiacs just don't make compelling characters, perhaps it is this story goes to out-there story-wise (even for Koontz), perhaps it is the characters are not as well rounded as in Koontz at his best. I did not dislike this listen, but I will likely not listen to The Bad Place again.

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